The Sword That Protects Life
by shirotora-san
Summary: Because there is much more at stake than her own life. And that is why he protects her.


**A/N**: Another writing experiment, another twist on a much debated topic in the ruroken fanfic world. Major spoilers ahead, based purely on the manga.

Oh, and standard disclaimers apply. I will never claim to be as brilliant as Nobuhiro Watsuki-sama. I _can_ claim to be his avid follower though…

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"**THE SWORD THAT PROTECTS LIFE**"

A Rurouni Kenshin Fanfiction

by shirotora-san

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I pressed an ear against the polished wood and listened. Not a sound was coming from inside the compound. I frowned. The silence was unnerving. Considering the men who live inside, the lack of sound and motion felt like a deadly omen.

I took a deep breath to calm my rattling nerves. I can do this.

I leaned back against the wall as I slowly crept closer, tightening my grip on the bokken. My eyes narrowed when I saw the door swaying slightly in the breeze. They had left the gate unlocked. Those arrogant men are so confident that they actually let their guard down. They are issuing a challenge, a dare to see who will win this battle of wits.

Fools. I am not so easily intimidated. And I am not so easily beaten.

I slipped my fingers through the opening and cautiously pushed the gate. I cringed when I heard it creak, and my body immediately tensed as I expected them to come rushing towards the sound. I stayed still for a few more seconds and waited. Nothing happened. My eyes narrowed even further. Something doesn't feel right. Sneaking in seems easy – _too _easy. This feels like a trap.

Well, it doesn't matter. They can trap me, but they can never reel me in. I can escape this. I know it.

I splayed my hands against the wooden door and pushed it even further, allowing just enough space for my body to slip through. I gently pushed the gate close behind me and started to walk, careful to mask the scuffing sounds my sandals made on the ground. The pounding of my heart sounded loud in my ears as I felt a surge of hope bubbling inside my chest. My refuge is near. Just a little bit further, and they will never know that I—

"INTRUDER ALERT! THERE'S A THIEF IN THE DOJO!"

I nearly jumped out of my skin. "Yahiko! Don't scare me like that!" I scowled at the little brat as I marched over to him. "And who are you calling a thief? I happen to _live_ here!"

He grinned as he dodged the bokken I swung at him. The damn kid is getting better in his reaction time. I would've felt proud of him if he weren't so annoying just then. "Maybe if you weren't _acting_ like a thief, I wouldn't have called you one," he taunted. "Why are you sneaking around your own house anyway? Don't tell me you _are _planning to steal something?"

His eyes suddenly narrowed as he stepped forward. I blinked, suddenly nervous. "What?" Could he have possibly seen…?

In all seriousness, Yahiko pointed his shinai into my face and spoke in a low voice. "If you're thinking about stealing that plate of ohagi Kenshin made for dessert," he threatened. "Then I assure you… Sanosuke and I won't let you succeed."

I rolled my eyes as relief washed over me. "You men always think with your stomach," I muttered as I swatted the shinai away. As Yahiko continued to complain loudly in the background, I blinked when something he said clicked into my mind.

I whirled around. Sure enough, Sanosuke was lounging in the porch with his eyes closed, a fishbone caught between his teeth. My brows furrowed. Normally I wouldn't mind having the rooster-head around, but for him to come over _today _of all days…

I walked forward and placed the bag of supplies I was carrying down on the porch. It was one thing for Yahiko not to notice, but Sanosuke may be not as easy to fool. I sneaked a peek at him and couldn't help but smile at the image he made – Sanosuke was sleeping like the overgrown baby he was. That's good. That meant I can quickly make my escape—

"That's a lovely bruise you have on your arm, Jou-chan."

I froze in my tracks and bit back the curse that was ready to fly out my mouth. Slowly, I turned around to face him once more and pasted a smile on my face. "Bruise?" I repeated innocently. "What bruise?"

Sanosuke cracked an eye open. "That one on your left arm." He spit out the fishbone. "The one you've been trying to hide since you arrived."

I scowled. How could he have seen with his eyes closed like that? "I wasn't trying to hide it," I protested, my voice coming out high-pitched. Damn it. I was never good at lying. "Besides, I get bruises all the time. It's kind of inevitable when you're a kenjutsu teacher."

Sanosuke raised an eyebrow at me. "Really? It's the first time you got back from teaching at the Maekawa dojo with a bruise _that_ big." He swung his legs over the porch as he straightened in his seat to look at me, opening both eyes this time. "Who did you spar with, Raijuuta?"

His tone was light and mocking, but his eyes glimmered with a seriousness I rarely see. I averted my gaze and sighed. This is exactly why I didn't want him to come over today. "Of course it wasn't Raijuuta, you idiot. After Kenshin beat the crap out of him, I doubt he even has the guts left to show his face there."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Then who did you fight with?"

The way he used the word "fight" instead of "spar" didn't escape my notice. He was trying to bait me, to reel me in, just as I feared he would do. I pursed my lips and settled for the truth. Most of it, anyway. "I just _sparred_ with my regular students, Sano," I said. "It was just a normal day of training."

"What, so Maekawa's punks can get the better of you now?" Yahiko spoke from behind me.

I turned to him with narrowed eyes. "Watch your mouth, Yahiko. You may be stronger than them now, but they are no doubt much more disciplined and respectful than you. With that kind of attitude in training, one day, they might even be better than you." I ignored his sputtering protests. "Your arrogance will kill you someday, Yahiko. Be careful."

"Che," was his rude reply. "Why should I listen to you? You can't even stand your ground against a bunch of kids, _sensei_."

Something inside of me snapped. With a roar of anger, I grabbed my bokken and swung at Yahiko with all my might. As if he already saw it coming, he readily blocked my attack with his shinai. He stepped back for a moment before he lunged forward again, and my eyes widened when I realized what he was targeting. I leapt to the side, dodging his attack, and his momentum carried him forward where he stopped a few feet away from me.

I stared at his back as he slowly straightened. I raised my bokken again, shifting my stance into a defensive position. He was silent and rigid, and I readied myself in case he was going to attack again. He turned to face me, and my grip on the bokken tightened.

"I was right. There _is _something wrong with your shoulder."

The anger dissipated from my eyes. "What?"

He walked towards me with his shinai casually thrown over his shoulder – a sign that he wasn't going to attack anymore. "I first noticed it when you swung your bokken at me after you arrived. You used your left hand." My eyes widened as I realized what he was saying – as I realized my mistake. "I found that kind of strange, since I know that your sword arm is your right arm. I tested my theory by attacking you."

Finally understanding, I let my arms drop to my sides as I relaxed my defensive stance. "So that was why you targeted my right shoulder. Somehow, you knew I couldn't raise my arm to block it."

Yahiko nodded. "And that's why I also found it strange that you chose to dodge my attack when it should've been easy to block."

"You were also carrying your bag on your left shoulder," Sanosuke added from his position on the porch. "You were holding your bokken on your right hand, but when you swung at Yahiko, you had to switch your grip and use your left hand instead." He stood up to face me. "Even as a mock attack, it was an unnecessary additional move."

I placed my hands on my hips, disliking the direction this conversation was heading towards. I have to divert it somehow. "So I got a bit hurt while training. What's wrong with that?"

Sanosuke raised his eyebrows. "Other than the fact that you got hurt _after _your training?" He smirked at the surprised look that crossed over my features. "You didn't get hurt because of Maekawa's students. They all use wooden swords."

I furrowed my brows at that. "What do wooden swords have to do with anything?"

"It doesn't matter how strong or skilled Maekawa's students are," said Yahiko as he walked over to stand beside Sanosuke. "Because no matter how good they are, wooden swords can never be capable of doing _that_."

And with his shinai, Yahiko pointed at the long tear running down one leg of my hakama. And as I looked down, I knew I have no excuse for this one. The frayed edges were too smooth and too even to be explained by an accidental ripping. That kind of tear can only be caused by a blade.

I raised my head and stared at the two spiky-haired men in front of me. Both had their arms crossed over their chests, and both wore identical looks of reproach and concern. They looked like protective brothers ready to tell off their sister for staying out too long. I smiled a little at the thought. Maybe that's what they are, after all.

"Welcome home, Kaoru-dono."

I sighed. And here comes the worst "brother" of them all.

"Kenshin—" Sanosuke started to say.

"Kaoru's—" Yahiko began.

"You must be hungry, Kaoru-dono." Kenshin cut them off with a smile. He walked towards me, carrying a tray laden with food. "You missed lunch, de gozaru. I saved some for you."

I smiled back, thanking the high heavens that he hasn't noticed anything yet. "Thank you, Kenshin. That's really thoughtful of you, unlike _some _people who are much too possessive of their sweets."

"Hey!" Yahiko protested.

"Oro?" Kenshin blurted out when he stumbled and the chopsticks fell to the floor. "Ah, gomen, Kaoru-dono… but can you pick them up for me?"

"Sure." I walked forward and leaned down to pick up the chopsticks. "Here you go," I said as I placed them back on the tray. "Let me get that for you."

"Thank you, Kaoru-dono," said Kenshin with a bright smile as I took the tray from him. "Be sure to eat well."

I blinked when he stepped down from the porch and started to walk away. "Where are you going?" I asked.

"To the bathhouse," he replied without turning around. "You need to clean that wound before it can be treated."

I nearly dropped the tray in my hands. "W-Wound?"

"Yes." Kenshin finally turned to look at me. "The wound on your leg where the blade cut through your hakama."

Yahiko's mouth dropped open, and Sanosuke's eyebrows shot way up his forehead. I pursed my lips and set the tray down on the porch. I knew that Kenshin was perceptive, but this was just ridiculous. "Wait a minute. How did you know I have a wound on my leg?"

Sanosuke and Yahiko turned to me in surprise, while Kenshin smiled a bit too innocently. I cursed silently as I realized I just admitted I _am _wounded.

"I'm sorry, Kaoru-dono," Kenshin began, seeing the troubled look on my face. "But when you walked towards me, I already noticed you were limping. And when you picked up the chopsticks, I found it strange that you bent at your waist, instead of bending with your knees like you usually do." He motioned to my legs. "Also, the tear in your hakama opened a little when you bent, so I caught a glimpse of the damage the blade had done."

Realization finally dawned, and I glared at him. "You dropped the chopsticks on purpose, didn't you?"

Kenshin only smiled with all the rurouni innocence he could muster. I scowled. If ever he gets reincarnated as an animal, he'll make a very convincing puppy.

"Face it Jou-chan," Sanosuke spoke up. "You're busted."

The three men stood there and waited expectantly for my inevitable confession. Sanosuke, who pretended to be asleep so I would be tricked into going near him. Yahiko, who provoked and attacked me so I would be forced to reveal my injuries. And Kenshin, who stumbled on purpose just so he could check the state of the injuries for himself.

Why did I have to have the misfortune of living with a bunch of very convincing actors?

Wearily, I ran my hands over my face. I love the three of them, I really do. But sometimes it sucks to be the only woman in a house full of men, especially when they gang up on me like this. I wish I can have a female companion for once.

"So. What kind of trouble did the tanuki get into now?"

…I _so_ take that wish back.

Kenshin turned to greet our timely visitor. "Hello, Megumi-dono," he said with a smile.

I wasn't so welcoming. "What the hell are you doing here, Megitsune?"

Megumi flipped her hair over her shoulder and peered at me. "Since you probably did something stupid again, I'm here to fix you up so Ken-san here wouldn't worry about you."

I bristled. "What makes you think I did something stupid? You're just making up an excuse to get your hands on Kenshin again."

Oh that foxy little grin I know so well. "While Ken-san always enjoys having my hands on him—"

"ORO!"

"—unfortunately, it's _you_ I have to get my hands on," Megumi finished as she looked at me.

Sanosuke raised his eyebrows. "I didn't know you have _that _kind of preference."

"Please," Megumi rolled her eyes. "There's a kid here."

"Hey!" yelled Yahiko. "I'm _not _a kid!"

Sanosuke snickered. "Then why did you react, Yahiko-chan?" he teased, earning him a scowl from the younger boy.

I frowned as I noticed for the first time that Megumi was carrying her medicine box. "What did you bring _that_ for?" I asked as I pointed.

Megumi raised an eyebrow at me. "To treat your injuries, of course."

Even the men were floored by that proclamation. Kenshin couldn't even utter an "oro." I stared at the woman doctor in shock. "H-How…?"

"Like I said, you did something stupid again," Megumi repeated as she walked to the porch and set her medicine box down. "Such as passing by in front of Oguni-sensei's clinic with several men trailing you."

The statement caught me off guard that I didn't notice the suddenly tense form of the red-haired man behind her.

Yahiko blinked as he turned to me. "Why were they following you?"

"And more importantly," Sanosuke added, his eyes narrowing. "What did they do _after_ they followed you?"

I could feel their eyes on me, but I was too caught up with what Megumi revealed. I stared at the woman doctor in front of me. What could she have seen? The possibilities suddenly presented themselves in my mind, and I broke into a cold sweat as my heart started hammering against my chest. No… please no… she couldn't have seen…

Megumi watched me for a long moment. She must have seen the emotions playing on my face for she suddenly sighed. "Kaoru-san… whatever it is that you didn't want me to see, I really didn't," she said as she sat down. "By the time I went outside to check on you, I already lost you in the crowd."

I breathed a sigh of relief. Megumi flashed me a reproving look which I ignored. At least she didn't see what happened.

"Then how did you know she was injured?" Yahiko couldn't help but ask.

"The men following her were carrying weapons." Megumi tore her gaze away from me as she opened the box and started to sort through her supplies. "What other conclusion would you expect me to have?"

The hands on my sides curled into fists.

"So you came all the way here to check up on Jou-chan," said Sano with a half-smile. "I didn't know you cared that much."

Megumi slammed her medicine box close. "I care about what might happen if the stupid girl gets herself killed again."

The silence that fell after that outburst spoke volumes about the wounds that ran deeper and were much more difficult to hide than the one inside my hakama.

"Megumi," I said softly. "I never died. It wasn't real."

She looked away. "Then don't make it real."

I didn't know what to say after that. I quietly sat down at porch and stared at the hands on my lap. I can tell they were all trying. No one wanted to break the comfortable sense of normalcy that had settled over the dojo after our trip to hell and back. But it seems like hell still had its deathly grip on them – on all of us.

I raised my head and gazed at each of their suddenly shadowed faces. They had been so broken when I was gone. The fabric of my kimono became rumpled as I clenched them in my trembling hands. I'm here, I returned, and yet no matter how hard I try, I can't make them whole again.

Enishi's Jinchuu may not have come full circle. But the damages had already been done – some beyond repair. So what good was my return if I couldn't even mend the broken spirits of the people I love?

"Kaoru-dono."

And he had been the most shattered of them all.

"Please eat," Kenshin told me softly. "Your food is getting cold."

It hurts so much to see them all trying to protect me when I should be the one protecting them from the ghosts Enishi created to haunt them.

"I'll go and prepare your bath."

It hurts so much to know that I couldn't protect them now the way I couldn't protect myself back then.

"And while I do that…"

And most of all, it hurts to know that perhaps my strength just isn't enough for them even as they try so hard to be strong for me.

"…you need to finish your meal..."

Enishi's Jinchuu may have failed, but it succeeded in one thing. It hurts so much to know that Enishi succeeded in proving to them that I'll always be a weak little girl who will always need their protection.

"…because you are going to need the energy."

I looked at him, my clouded mind only able to process one coherent word. "Why?"

"Because I believe you have a story to tell when I return… de gozaru."

The rest of us could only gaze at his retreating back as he entered the bath house. It hadn't been a direct command. But it wasn't just a simple request, either.

"Che," Sanosuke spoke up, finally breaking the silence. "You know you can't deny the man when he gets like that."

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_End of part one_

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